Monday, April 24

I was up early to get to the Easter Seals Training Conference again at the Hilton. Even before the very first session, the Welcome Session, I met three of the former/present Easter Seals ambassadors. They're kids/adults who have overcome a disability and who really show what Easter Seals is about. I met Matty, Ryan and Bridgette. Matty is 13? years old and has overcome many effects of his Cerebral Palsy. He's cute AND hilarious!

Ryan is from Little Rock, Iowa, which is very close to Rock Rapids, which of course is very close to Sioux Center! Amazing little connections EVERYWHERE! I got to sit beside Ryan and his mom and talk more about Iowa and Dordt and farming and everything. They're very nice people, and Ryan has overcome a lot since his car accident. Doctors told him that he'd never walk again or farm again. Now he's walking with a cane and hopes to, in 10 years, walk without his cane. Amazing. He's also farming 60 acres (?) in Little Rock with his brother. (His father died a few years after the accident) but Ryan farms the land--corn and soybeans. Anyway, Ryan's 29 and Bridgette is around 30 as well.

All of those ambassadors for Easter Seals are very articulate as well--they each spoke at the Welcome Session after Jim, the head CEO of headquarters here in Chicago. Bridgette is in a wheelchair and works downtown in the loop at the Federal Reserve.

The rest of the day was filled with sessions and steaks! We had steak for lunch. Mmmmm, I do like steak once in a while. This one was a little too pink in the center, but what I did eat was delicious! Monday night we had the Awards dinner for Easter Seals affiliates who had raised a lot of money or were innovative in their services ..stuff like that. Once again we had steak and potato and vegetables and salad and rolls. It's amazing how good steak can be after months not eating much meat at all. Sweet. This one was thick, too!
So yah, steak, um I wore a dress. I like wearing nice dresses and heels.